6.11.2008

Brother gifts

Remember that nautical flag quilt I made for Ellis? I just made some matching pillows, an E for him and an M for Marlowe. I had thought about making Ellis an E pillow while I was making the quilt, but I never got around to it. His recent acquisition of a little brother, though, proved just the motivation I needed.

Roughly 10 hours passed from the time I had this idea last Thursday morning (5/29) until I finished the last stitch and put the pillows inside. I sketched out the shapes so I could do my geometric calculations while Kent was napping, then I took him to Hobby Lobby to get more of the light blue fabric (the only one I was missing enough of in my fabric stash), and then I cut everything in the afternoon and sewed, pinned, and ironed after Jack got home. What a fun way to spend a day.

I used the light blue fabric for the backs of the pillows, since it's the border color on the quilt, and I attached zippers for easy cleaning (I hope). I forgot about hiding the zippers until after I had finished, when I looked at a pillow my grandmother had helped me sew, but I think they still look pretty cute. Not the most practical gift to give a baby and his three-year-old brother, but it's a unique one that only I could make. I'm really into that sort of gifting now.

When I presented them to said recipients on Monday, Ellis held onto his, threw it a bit, and then started undoing the zipper. Now I'm wondering whether it will become a hiding place for odd things (hopefully nothing too gross), or whether the pillow will end up in a totally different location than the cover... kids always find unintended uses for things, don't they? Funny.